


The new kid

by LethalMinx



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 01:41:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18326111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LethalMinx/pseuds/LethalMinx
Summary: It's normal to be nervous when meeting new people. It's normal to be nervous in an interview. But Noctis finds himself in a terrible cycle of haphazard and awkward fumbles in an attempt to impress his coworkers.





	The new kid

“Hey Specs, this is Noctis – he’s going to be shadowing you for the next hour. Feel free to ask him any questions on what he shows you. I’ll get you in an hour,” Kera’s footsteps faded as she walked back to her desk.

“Here, you can use this chair,” Specs pulled a chair from the unused desk next to him and rolled it closer. “Thanks,” I took a seat, my notebook in hand that anxiously awaited to be filled with notes that I would never remember come the following day.

“So, what position are you interviewing for?” The man named Specs asked while he started opening tabs and logging into programs, closing anything else he was working on, his attention put on the monitor in front of him.

“Relationship Portfolio Manager,” I answered, not sure how else to follow up, because to be honest, I knew next to nothing about this department. My current position was entirely different, so while I was vaguely familiar with some of the things I was told about regarding the position, I didn’t know nearly enough to make any sort of conversation about it.

“Ah. What makes you want to move into that role?” His attention was now on me, his glasses reflecting a part of the light from the screen in front of us. His eyes were a startling lush green, which was a contrast to the sharper features of his face.

“I know my current job like the back of my hand. I’ve been doing it for a few years now, so I’m ready for another challenge,” I replied, thinking that’s a decent answer for my upcoming interview… maybe. Maybe not.

“Challenge is what you’ll definitely find here,” Specs turned his attention back to the screen. “Right, so we use a few different systems in this department, and trust me, there’s quite a lot. Learning them all, what they do, and remembering to keep your accounts active are certainly some of the more tougher housekeeping responsibilities to keep in mind. I’ve come into work plenty of times in the beginning and it completely escaped me to remember to renew my access. It makes for a very long day if that happens, so be aware.”

I quickly jotted down in my best high school note-taking shorthand, _‘keep systems updated. Check often.’_

“Right, so let me show you some of the more common tasks that you’ll likely do in the beginning. So, when you come in, you’ll be assigned tasks from a pool that will be assigned to you by one of the supervisors. Anything assigned before 3pm should take priority, and anything after that needs to be at least acknowledged that you’ve received the request and that you’ll work on it, which will then become your priority the following day, barring any emergencies or overflow from the night before.”

“Ok, fair enough,” I jotted down more notes, _‘anything before 3pm – priority, after 3pm – acknowledge.’_

The next hour consisted of him explaining more tasks in depth, describing some of the work that I would be doing that ranged from simple requests to much more complicated that could take days or even weeks to accomplish.

“As a final word, my biggest piece of advice is to 1. Communicate, and 2. If you need help, please ask as early as you can. We’re big on working together and filling in knowledge gaps; what someone might not know, someone else will. There are many SME’s – or, subject matter experts, that are more than willing to help. However, it’s certainly important that you communicate well and often. Any last questions before I let you go?” Specs’ tone was very matter-of-fact, and his pursed lips followed suit. I could tell he was definitely a top performer amongst the team.

“Yeah – would you want to get lunch sometime maybe?”

…. That did _not_ just come out of my mouth, right?

“I’m… sorry?” Specs tilted his head and furrowed his brow in confusion.

“No, I mean…” _Gods, think!_ “Your real name isn’t Specs… right?” My armpits were soaked in sweat. I cannot believe I really just said that. _Really, Noct._

What came out of his mouth was a genuine laugh; it was full, hearty, and like a cool breeze in the springtime, “No, Noctis, it isn’t. My name is Ignis.”

* * *

 

_Ignis. Ig-nis. IG-nis. Ig-NIS. Ig…nis._ I said his name over and over under my breath just to feel his name roll off my tongue. It was pleasing, soft, and natural. _Ignis. Noctis. Iss._ My tongue played with the texture of the syllables, of the ‘iss’ sound, what they sounded like together and apart. I couldn’t think of the interview I was about to walk into, but not for lack of trying. All I wanted was to listen to him speak, and it saddened me to know that he’ll probably never talk to me again except for the polite nod hello, if he would remember me, anyway.

Well, good luck to me.

* * *

 

_**Kerah Symposio (02:31:04pm):** Hey Noctis – I just wanted to invite you to happy hour after work today. Might be a good way to introduce yourself to your possible future teammates. _

The message came up on my instant messenger and I stared at it for a moment before deciding to respond. What I really wanted to ask was if Ignis was coming. Did they call him Ignis, or was it just Specs? Is it weird to ask her? No, I wont ask her.

_**Kerah Symposio (02:32:46pm):** Specs will be there, so you’ll at least have a familiar face to help the pressure. We’ll be going to Marbs and Barbs, so feel free to join us!_

My heart leapt. What the actual hell was my problem? I don’t know a damn thing about this guy, but I just wanted to hang out with him. Ugh, _idiot, idiot, idiot._ Nope,I wasn’t going to go.

_**Noctis Caelum (02:36:02pm):** That sounds great, it would be a great opportunity. Thanks for the invite!_

Second time I’ve done that today. I’m a walking hazard, honestly.

* * *

 

Five thirty couldn’t come soon enough. I had so much work to do, but I found myself repeatedly spacing out. I was nervous to think about drinking with a bunch of people I didn’t know, and even moreso, drinking with the guy that I had tripped over my shoelaces in front of. All I could do was just stand straight, be calm, and hope I don’t anything else that would land me in hot water. I grabbed my things and made for the elevator. I pressed the button and waited for what felt like ages, and then I was jolted from another deep thought by the _ping_ from the elevator doors opening.

“Well, hello Noctis,” Ignis met my eyes. I thought I saw a smirk crawl to the corner of his lips.

“Oh, hey! Funny running into you, huh?” I tried.

“Funny indeed. Going to the happy hour with us?” This time, I really think there was a smile in there somewhere.

_Us. What a nice thought._

“Yeah, Kerah invited me to come out. Said it might be a good opportunity to meet the people I’d potentially be working with in a more relaxed setting. She might be right, or perhaps I’ll just talk too much after a few beers and make a complete fool of myself,” I tried to brush off the nerves, but the harder I tried, the more it felt forced.

“Well, that wouldn’t be the first time today, would it?” He turned to me and nodded playfully. Yes, I knew it was a joke, but ouch.

“Hah… yeah, guess not,” my voice trailed off.

The elevator doors opened just in time and finally the breath filled my lungs after being suffocated from embarrassment.

“You could ride in my car if you’d like. I’ve no intentions on drinking heavily. You might need a few beers to relax though – might actually do you some good,” Ignis said coolly.

I couldn’t help my surprise – I guess he didn’t find me completely repulsive after all. “Sure, thanks.” There were a few moments of silence as we walked to his car. “So, do you prefer Specs or Ignis?”

Ignis paused. “I prefer Ignis, though everyone either calls me Iggy or Specs, and honestly, I’m not a fan of either, but old habits die hard, so I don’t bother making a fuss anymore.”

“Ignis it is then.” His car beeped to signal it was unlocked, and it was impressively beautifully, much like its owner. It was a shiny black, perfect and intricately threaded black leather interior, fully digital dashboard and a large navigator screen. There wasn’t a spec of dirt or dust to be found anywhere which didn’t come as a shock at all. ‘ _Ignis is a neat freak_ ’ is what I would have jotted down in my notebook.

* * *

 

We made our way inside, grateful to be out of the office and kick back a few cold ones. Work has been stressful for a few months with seemingly no end in sight, and today put the cherry on the cake. Ignis and I walked up to the bar and placed our order – a beer for me, and some sort of bourbon concoction for him. It smelled like it would hurt going down, but to each their own.

I caught Ignis’ eye as he was putting his card back in his wallet. “Hey, wh… did you pay for my drink?”

Ignis lifted his glass, “Cheers, it’s Friday,” and then he walked away to join with his other coworkers. I was at a loss for what to do – I didn’t know anyone, and I wasn’t about to intrude on anyone’s space. It was nice of him to pay for my drink, but a bit rude that he left, knowing that I didn’t know anyone. Oh well, so it is.

“Hey! What are you doing here by yourself? Come over with us!” Kerah touched my shoulder as she invited me into her circle. I suppose being invited over by one of the managers is a good sign, right?

“Did Specs leave you by yourself??” Kerah pursed her lips and glanced in his direction. I turned around and saw him lively and jovial with friends who were obviously talking about something very entertaining. It was probably about me. I’m never going to let that go. Ignis turned around, likely feeling eyes on his back. Again, his eyes caught mine, but I could’ve sworn that there was something else in that glance, but what that was, who knows.

“Ugh, I’m sorry about him. He can be a little… dense, sometimes. Don’t get the wrong idea about him though, he’s never malicious about it. Socializing isn’t exactly his specialty,” Kerah pouted.

“Really? Looks pretty sociable to me,” I turned around quickly again in impulse.

“Specs puts too much effort in his work and not enough on developing actual relationships with people. I mean, if you’re going to spend most of your time around these people, you’d think that he wouldn’t be _like that._ ” Whatever her feelings, it sounded personal. It was easy to tell that she was a solid few drinks ahead of me. Drunk tongue, sober thoughts. Before I knew it, my wrist was firmly grasped in her hand as she marched over to where he was and stopped right in front of him.

“Specs, that was rude that you left him like that! You’re the only one he knows here! Why don’t you introduce him to the group and be a _team player_.” Ignis and I suddenly found ourselves competing for the title of ‘reddest face.’

“Uh… yes. Sorry.” Ignis blinked hard at her and then looked at me. I tried to silently communicate to him that it wasn’t my idea, but I don’t think he got the message. Kerah walked back to her group and left me standing like a stump. I chugged the rest of my beer and asked if anyone wanted anything at the bar. Everyone shook their head no, so I did a quick 180 and bolted as quick as I could to the counter. Suddenly, Ignis was standing next to me, forearms resting on the counter and studying me.

“That wasn’t my idea, I swear. She came up to me as soon as you left and then –” I was frantic. I wasn’t even at the bar for 10 minutes and this was already a mess. Ignis stood there looking at me with contemplative pursed lips, like he was holding back words. I waited for him to say something, but nothing came out. “I’m just gunna go…” I didn’t know what else to say. It’s been a day and I didn’t know if I wanted to stick around and see how much more aggravating and embarrassing this night would get. I looked at him for just another moment, but then I accepted that he probably wanted me to go just as much as I wanted to leave. With that, I made my way downstairs and out the door.

My car was a bit far off, but maybe I wouldn’t mind the cold air if it meant it was a distraction to my thoughts. Kerah would probably be upset that I left without saying anything, and I probably ruined my chances of that position. The cool air didn’t distract me at all –my thoughts wound up distracting me from the cold instead. I looked behind me out of instinct, and my heart sunk; this isn’t a fairy tale or some romantic movie where the man is chasing after his crush to confess feelings, or to offer his arm for a walk. No, this was just real life, where I had fucked up, and things didn’t end up at all the way I wanted.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Wow writing in first person (especially first person Noctis) is the weirdest ever, but it was a fun challenge in an attempt to shake things up a bit! Based on a few real life experiences (some recent, some not), I thought it would be funny to give my own personal awkwardness a voice. Hope you guys like it! Next chapter to come soon!


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